


Invictus: Ficlets and Drabbles

by BronzeAgeLove



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Drabble Collection, Ficlet Collection, Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, most rated G or T, please check each chapter for rating!, some lemon-y chapters might happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-02-09 10:25:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18636256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BronzeAgeLove/pseuds/BronzeAgeLove
Summary: Since my 'Drabbles' section was getting exceedingly more difficult to manage, I decided to split them up by OC groups and repost them here for easier reading- please bear with me if you've read some of these before.Drabbles and ficlets about my OC Turian Cruiser Crew around Captain Ianus. What happens on and off duty, and especially when the captain is not around?





	1. Before the Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated G
> 
> Originally posted as writing practice on Tumblr

Cruiser Invictus, 2181, on the outskirts of the Terminus systems.

“Captain Etherian?” a voice quavered from the entrance to the cruiser’s gym, echoing through the spartan room. Somewhere in the gloom, a figure could be seen working out on the floor, measured movements full of concentration, interspersed with low growls of exertion. Light from the walls reflected on the curve of a scarred, dark red carapace, on strong, naked legs.

Not bothering to dress, the figure straightened itself before turning towards the door, towering over the newcomer.

Unable to suppress her nervousness, the ensign’s mandibles twitched. She wasn’t especially short for a turian, but the captain was so huge he dwarved her, square-shouldered, his torso a perfect V-shape. He filled her complete field of vision. She’d never seen him up-close before. Her eyes darted over his naked body, telling of encounters with slavers, sparring matches, ground combat, before staying glued to the deep gash in his chest plates.

At her silence, the captain gave an irritated snarl. “Yes? I don‘t like being interrupted”, he prompted, staring her down with bright grey eyes that didn’t allow any backtalk.

The ensign swallowed. She had just started her compulsory Hierarchy training, and serving on the _Invictus_ wasn‘t the new recruits’ favourite job. _Captain Ianus won‘t allow any slack_ , they‘d tell each other, _he runs a tight ship_ , their voices full of a weird mixture of reverence and fear. _And hold on to your fatigues, boys,_ they'd whisper to each other, in a hushed way (because obviously slandering superior officers was the worst offense), _if you’re not careful he‘ll have you out of them quicker than you can say ‚yes sir‘_.

She swallowed again, her mandibles pinched close to her face.

“Captain, you said you didn’t want us to disturb you unless it was something important... but we found it. The ship’s signature. It’s the slavers we’ve been looking for.”

The captain growled, his subvocals thrumming with determination.

“Thank you, ensign. I’ll be on deck in six. Assemble the senior officers and my strategists.”

He bared his teeth, white and sharp against the red of his plates, and his eyes sparkled with cold fire. A huge hand stroked along the scar on his chest once, from his right shoulder diagonally over his keel, absent-mindedly.

“Let’s show those batarians what the Hierarchy is capable of”, the captain said to no-one in particular, his voice low. “The hunt is on.”


	2. An Unexpected Maneuver

Humans were an annoying bunch. Loud, brash, erratic. _No discipline_.

Hierarchy captain Ianus Etherian sat at the bar counter, trying to enjoy a glass of aged brandy. It wasn‘t often that he got shore leave, so on the few times he did, he liked going out by himself and indulging in some good aged spirits. But as soon as he‘d ordered, out of nowhere, a whole bunch of alliance sailors had appeared, hogging most of the bar, laughing, shoving each others, filling the whole space with their stench, all that, what was it called…. _after-shave_.

_Humans!_

Ianus gave a dismissive snort. He didn‘t understand why the rest of the galaxy was so enamoured with them. Apparently everybody wanted to sleep with them, too, because of the novelty. He shuddered at the thought. The Hierarchy had come so close to showing them at Shanxi, and then the council had stepped in…

Ignoring the racket around him, Ianus took a long swig of brandy.

Left and right, drinks were poured, the men and women in their ugly Alliance uniforms clinking glasses, cheering, hugging each other.

An unmoving island in a frothing sea, Ianus retracted his head as much into his cowl as he could and took another sip, morosely observing the bar from under the edge of his field cap. Nobody noticed his increasingly impatient mandible twitches.

Right next to him, two servicemen had started kissing, such a weird sort of mating ritual. Ianus listened to the squishy slurpy sounds they made while sucking on each other’s tongues.

_Disgusting._

He remembered a group of his newly appointed ensigns watching earth movies on a makeshift screen in the cruiser’s galley one night. They’d flinched when he stepped in, undoubtedly anticipating an admonition. But it had been one of Ianus’ good days, and he’d tried being amicable towards them. He sat down, watched the movies with them, cracked a few jokes at the human’s expenses. Flirted a little with one of the fledglings, just for the fun of it. Ianus knew he didn’t have the reputation of most friendly captain in the fleet, but at least, under his command, fresh recruits learned the proper ways of the Hierarchy, what it meant to obey orders, to believe in the greater good, to put their own needs behind those of their crewmates and work together. Ianus’ ensigns often went out achieving well after serving on cruiser Invictus, a fact that he prided himself on.

The movie night in itself had not been very enlightening. Ianus sat through two movies, pretentious stories with overused tropes and impossible stunts and special effects. It had given him a really bad headache. The mating scenes were repulsive too, everything so… soft and squashy. And all that… kissing. Yes, turians did something similar, but nowhere near the amount humans seemed to love. Ianus shook his head as if to dislodge the memory. Kissing was overrated, and sure as hell he’d never want to kiss a human. Those wet pink tongues were disturbing.

Right when Ianus decided to take another sip, someone bumped into him, making him spill half the glass over his fatigues.

"Oh sorry," the man piped up with not more than a fleeting glance before turning back to his companions.

A mandible twitched once, in annoyance. The now empty glass was put down. Enough was enough. Ianus’ huge hands descended on the young man’s shoulders, talons puncturing the fabric of his jacket, yanked him around.

"‘Oh sorry’ won’t do, human," he growled, his voice deep, subvocals rumbling with anger, face only inches from the human’s nose. "That was an expensive brandy."

"Well, I’m…." the young man stammered while trying to wriggle out of the vice-like turian grip, his lower lip quivering.

_Pathetic._

Ianus sighed. He couldn’t comprehend how vermin like that could win upper hand at Shanxi. Might as well make ‘em suffer some more, they deserved it. Ianus had a reputation, so maybe now was the moment to deploy it.

"Kiss me and I’ll forgive you." The words were barely more than a growl, a warning. He unfurled his long blue tongue, licked along the side of his mouth plates.

Different feelings seemed to flit over the young human‘s face. Disgust, fear, tension, shame. Ianus stared him down, revelling in the feeling of dominance.

But then, one of the human‘s friends who had been sitting there idly, watching the scene, moved into view. His eyes roamed over Ianus’ huge form, giving him a good once over, lingering on mandibles, shoulders, waist, talons.

"Well I wouldn‘t mind kissin’ you. Or more. You look like fun," he finally said, giving Ianus the most suggestive smile the captain had ever seen.

_Those smug little bastards!  
_

For what felt like the first time in his life, Hierarchy captain Ianus Etherian didn’t know what to answer. But he knew when to admit defeat. And this one had played him marvellously. He shoved the quivering human towards his mates, and left without another word.


	3. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From a drabble prompt list on Tumblr
> 
> Rated... T, I think? For very mild sexual content

“Oi, Delius! You sleeping?”

Leucen had just only fallen asleep when some insistent prodding to his waist jolted him awake. It was almost pitch-black in the room. Leucen had to first orient himself after struggling out of the bedding he’d amassed by begging off the other ensigns. A pair of eyes glinted in the darkness, and in the gloom, he could make out a jagged sweep of white colony markings along cheeks and upper mouth plates.

“Tyres?? Wha’ ya doin’ ‘ere?”

“Oh good, you’re awake. Nice accent!”

“Fuck ya, pellet! Ah go’ two ’ours ta sleep befo’ mah shift! Spirits, wha’s wrong wit’ ya?”

Without an answer, Tyres grabbed Leucen’s upper arm, leaning in closer to whisper into his ear canal. There was a certain hint of wonder and glee mixed into the excited thrum of his subvocals. “It’s Taranis.“

“Ya’r wakin’ me ‘cause o’ Acilia? Ya demented?”

A frustrated whine came from Tyres, somewhere in the darkness.

“Just…. come. You need to witness this!” he cooed while tugging the naked and still sleep-deprived Leucen after him to the back row of bunks around the corner of the ensign housing. All around them, the rest of the group was sleeping, their slumber only interrupted by the one or other chirp or snore. On the lower bunk in the back, a figure could be discerned in the gloom, wrapped into her blanket, tossing as if she was having a dream while murmuring incomprehensible things. For a few seconds, Leucen watched her writhe under the covers.

“Yah, she’s dreamin’. Big deal!”

“Don’t be daft, Delius. Use your nose!”

Leucen had to admit to himself he wasn’t the most scent-centered turian there was; Some might even say his sense of smell was nonexistent. Crinkling his nose, Leucen took a good sniff of the air above the sleeping girl. Hierarchy-issue detergent, as was to be expected, because that stuff was everywhere, and Leucen hated it with a passion. Underneath, a hint of body oil and stale breath, and around that…

Leucen’s eyes went wide with realization. His mandibles clamped close to his face.

“Oh. Yah.”

The purr coming from Tyres was the smuggest Leucen had ever heard in any turian.

“Told you,” he whispered. “Uptight Taranis is capable of having wet dreams!”

Leucen knew it was wrong listening to her right now. Not that turians had a culture of shame concerning anything sexual. It was good manners to ignore such matters when witnessed, but after all he was still a teenager, and things like these didn’t happen often during his reimented days, so… more exciting than having to crunch calculations with his supervisor, or being yelled at by the captain for arriving too late for his shifts. “Yah!” he hissed back, trying to keep his voice down. “She’s na’ thinkin’ ‘bout her job righ’ now.”

“I wouldn’t mind her dreaming about me,” Tyres admitted wistfully.

 _Oh spirits_ , Leucen thought, eyeing his ally. Tyres was cute enough, with his dark plating and those bold white markings. Not exactly Leucen’s taste, and in any case he was committed, but Tyres was popular with the crew. He was pretty and sociable, went along with anyone- a real charmer, the way Leucen would never be. Him having a crush on someone as stiff as Acilia Taranis came as a surprise, though. She’d rebuffed everyone’s advances up to now, claiming she was too busy to get distracted by romance or even a fling.

“Mabbe ya can prompt ‘er ta say yahr name,” Leucen suggested on a whim, motioning Tyres to keep his volume down if they didn’t want to catch Acilia waking up and tanning their hides for eavesdropping. It was tempting indeed to try and get her to admit a crush.

“She’ll kill us if she wakes!”

“It was yahr idea, ya pellet. Ah dare ya ta do it!”

“Ugh fine…”

Subvocals were a marvellous thing. Leucen watched in fascination as Tyres crouched down close to their dreaming crew member, carefully modulating his vocals to a sensual croon, a bit as if he were answering Acilia’s call. Suppressing his own nervousness, Leucen forced himself to breathe steadily. The whole spectacle, Acilia’s scent in his nose and Tyres‘ increasingly lewd purring was doing things to him too. Leucen was glad the room was dark, because his plates were parting and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“Tyres, ah’m gettin’ rather excited by yahr purrin‘,” Leucen hissed after some time, “ah’m gonna abort ta mission an’ rub one out by mahsel’, ‘s gettin’ too much!”

“Yeah I can smell you,” Tyres growled back, voice strained with concentration, “but she’s not reacting. Help me here? I don’t care if your cock’s hanging out!”

Leucen suppressed a groan. This was more difficult than expected! And rude at that. However… if they could manage to make her say a name it would be the kind of wordless triumph they could share between each other, and the siren call of being so daring was strong indeed!

With a sigh, Leucen crouched down to Tyres‘ level, subvocals carefully modulated to compliment the other‘s, painting a soft melody of want and enticement. Not a difficult feat for Leucen who decided to think about his boyfriend, letting those memories influence each of his little sounds.

On the bed, Acilia had stopped thrashing the way she had before, relaxing as she subconsciously reacted to the boys’ calls. The tension was almost tangible when she fell in harmony with the two. And then, at one point, Acilia gave a soft whine, and breathed a single name.

Leucen broke off mid-purr, at the same time Tyres’ voice died off in a sad, drawn-out squeak, similar to a bagpipe left to deflate on the floor.

„Yah, damn,“ Leucen whispered, before grabbing the crestfallen Tyres by his elbow and dragging him back to his bunk before snuggling down into his own. Leucen didn’t feel the urge to tend to his semi-erection anymore.

It was the first and last time the two eavesdropped. In the end, it took Tyres two week to get over the fact his heartthrob had a hard enough crush on the Junior XO to be dreaming of her. He’d given it his best, but if one was a lowly ensign and the object of desire was into leadership... it was impossible to measure up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leucen has a mean country boy accent...


	4. Touch Prompts #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A collection of drabble prompts originally posted on tumblr.  
> Topic: Touch

**A Touch...**

 

**On A Scar**

The first time Ianus looked at himself naked in the mirror after being discharged from the hospital, he couldn’t bear the sight. One hand trailed the deep, jagged gash over his chest in disbelief, winced when pain shot through him, sharp and unforgiving. Too real.

He tried again, gingerly skimming each little peak and dip. Each a reminder of him failing his squad. Turian plates did renew slowly, though the doctor had told him the wound sustained was too deep to heal without trace. Maybe, when enough time had passed, he would be able to forgive himself, but not today.

 

**A touch… with an apology  
**

This was infuriating. Captain Ianus had never been forced to apologize, and he was not enjoying it in the slightest.

”What do we say?“

”‘m sorry.“

”What for?“

”For biting your neck.“

”And why shouldn‘t you do that?“

”Because you said it’s improper.“

”Good. See, Ianus, apologizing is not hard.“

”Oh for spirits sake I‘m not a chick anymore! I got carried away!“

”A chick would behave better than you do right now. You’re pouting!”

“I’m not pouting!”

“If your mandibles could, they’d crawl inside your jaw.”

A hand on his arm.

“Let’s have a drink and make up?”

“Mmh.”

 

**A Touch To Say Good Night  
**

Unsettling how easily certain things came back even after neglecting them for decades. Ianus hadn’t slept in the same bed as someone else ever since he’d been dumped, all those years ago, and he was annoyed at himself for looking forward to the experience of cuddling.

He crawled into the bed, turning a few times before finding a good spot to lie down. Too soft, too cramped. A hand ghosted along his fringe, calming him.

“Sleep well, Ianus.”

He didn’t say anything in return, though he gave an approving growl. Maybe, Ianus could allow himself to be soft, this once.

 

**A Touch… after a Nightmare**

„Hey.“

Ianus woke with a snarl, disoriented, his teeth snapping the air. The voices of his squad echoed in his head, their accusing glances burning the inside of his eyelids.

A soft voice. „Breathe, Ianus. You had a dream.“

A hand ghosted along his clenched jaw, stroked a twitching mandible. Ianus allowed himself to melt into the touch, the warmth anchoring him in reality. Only a dream…

„Yeah.“

„Sleep.“

The friction of a tongue licking along the tense muscles on his neck. A warm body pressed against his back.

Even a loner as Ianus was glad about company some nights.

 

 

 


	5. Touch Prompts #2

**A Touch to Say Good Morning:**

Although cruisers worked on an around the clock basis, there were times Vi liked most, and that was what she dubbed ‘morning‘ for the ensigns‘ shift. All those disgruntled fledglings she got to serve were a delight to behold.

„Morning, Leucen!“ she beamed while ladling a healthy portion of stew onto his tray.

„Mrrrn…“ Grumpy again. Maybe the others were in better spirits.

„Morning, Tyres, slept well?“ A bleary-eyed look, a groan. Behind the young man, Acilia looked way more smug than usual.

„He didn‘t get lots of rest,“ she whispered while caressing once along his back, giving Vi that mandible wiggle reserved for secrets. Ooooooh. Okay.

 

**A Touch For Encouragement**

Even someone as stern as Captain Ianus felt pity at seeing his ensigns terrified of holding speeches on graduation day. Most put up brave airs, but Acilia, Ianus’ most gifted liaison ensign, quaked with terror.

“Ready?” he asked. Acilia’s distressed whine was heartbreaking.

“No! What if I flounder? Everyone will laugh!”

With a sigh, Ianus reached out, smoothing the yellow stripe on her lapel.

“You have a gift. When you talk, people listen. Remember that.”

Another pat to her rank stripe. Encouragement.

“Acilia Taranis, go make your ship proud.”

She didn’t look convinced, but nodded. And delivered her speech impeccably.

 

**Hug prompt 11: First Time Hug!**

The first time Xeriak hugged Leucen, hugged him for real, all the young man did was to stand rigid, and wait for the hug to end. Turians didn‘t hug, at usual. Leucen‘s family didn‘t, for sure.

Tight embraces, those were for fighting in the schoolyard, and later, for being held down somewhere in seedy back rooms or in the showers. Hugging held no positive connotation for Leucen. Yet again and again, Xer would embrace him, caress him, whisper his sweet nothings. It was a weird sensation still, but being hugged by the most dangerous man Leucen knew, that felt good.

 

**Tackle Hug for Leucen**

Leucen wasn‘t one to show affection. He had never associated hugs and closeness with anything pleasant, but he was starting to warm up to the idea, with some gentle help. By now, he’d seen enough romantic movies, and at one point, he decided on what he wanted to try on his next shore leave.

The day couldn’t come early enough. Down the shuttle ramp Leucen dashed, into the bustle, towards the tall shadowy figure standing in the middle of the crowd, unmoving. Strong arms picked Leucen up when he leaped, spun him around. Maybe, he could get used to hugging.

 

**Sleepy Hug for Tyres**

Tyres woke from confused dreams only to find himself unable to move. The dormitory was pitch black, and his bunk seemed much narrower than usual. Someone tall was wedged in behind him, legs intertwined, hot breath washing over his neck at regular intervals.

He tried to move, to at least orient himself. Pushing himself up on an elbow, Tyres peered over his shoulder. A pair of arms tightened around him, drew him close, followed by a content purr. Last night resurfaced slowly from the depths of his drowsy mind.

 _Oh. Riiiight_. Tyres hummed to himself, and got back to sleep.

 

**1\. A Touch With Love (Leucen)  
**

Nothing compared to being caressed, Leucen thought, the sensation of talons being gently dragged over his hide making him shiver blissfully. It had taken him time to realize that touch could be given with gentleness and respect, not as a demand or a claim for property, things he endured in exchange for what he had perceived as affection and love. It was a new world he was still exploring, here, far away from working on the cruiser.

Leucen exhaled and curled up in his lover’s lap, surrendering to the emotions washing over him. So this was what love felt like.


	6. Affairs of the Heart

Endearing how insecure the little ones could get, as soon as things of the heart were concerned. Some were proud and fearless when on duty, tiny model soldiers burning with the innate fire of loyalty and honour, but love reduced them all to stammering chicks. Quartermaster Vi smiled to herself while she contemplated the two ensigns currently sitting at a table at the edge of the galley, exchanging shy words.

Though it had its perks, being a cruiser’s quartermaster and designated cook was hard work. Within two weeks of her being transferred to the _Invictus_ , Vi had become the crew’s barkeeper, mom, and best friend in no time. Not that she minded, she had grown up on the Citadel and liked interacting with people. The only problem was that everyone came to her for love advice as well. As someone not interested in anything remotely romantic, Vi wasn’t sure how exactly she could help the others in these matters.

But seeing two fledglings on a sort of date… that was heartwarming even to her, though a turian cruiser, as a default, was severely lacking in suitable date spots.

Vi listened to their conversation with one ear while typing up her resupply orders.

A cute one indeed, young Tyres. Promising mechanic, Vi had heard the others say. And apparently he had fallen hard for Acilia Taranis, who was not known to be amicable towards anyone. Vi didn’t envy Acilia. Being a general‘s daughter wasn’t easy for sure, and even worse when said general was good friends with the cruiser‘s captain. Vi suspected Acilia had it tougher than any of the other ensigns. A lot of expectations and demands rested on her young shoulders, simply by being related to Hierarchy brass. Maybe a date to get her mind off things, or even a quick affair, would do her good.

Vi looked up from her report just in time to witness Tyres sliding a small bag towards Acilia. Ah, the field-tested gift giving to win over the object of one‘s affections. A classic. Only a few levels less intimate than nesting, or decorating one’s lover’s room with shiny trinkets. Vi observed the gift changing ownership, and chuckled to herself at Acilia‘s reaction.

“Tyres, these are my favourite! How did you know? Thank you!”

The young man’s nose scrunched once in embarrassment. Had he been a human, he would have blushed for sure.

“Uhm… it’s not much, sorry,“ he squeaked. His mandibles twitched. His eyes, wide and imploring, found Vi‘s, who gave him an encouraging nod, at which he cleared his throat and continued. „Leucen mentioned you liked them so I bought some for you… I mean, you always look so busy I thought you might like a distraction…“ Tyres‘ voice faltered, and he took a big inhale to calm down. His hands toyed with the clasps holding his uniform jacket closed. „Thank you for spending time with me.”

Vi gave him another nod from the back. Good lad! That had taken guts for sure. He’d earned himself an extra helping of dinner tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Acilia was floundering about with an answer.

“No, it’s a wonderful gift! Thank you, Tyres. I appreciate it.“

„Well, uhm, ok then. Take care. See you next shift, Acilia.“

„Yeah, you too.“

“Nice boy,” Vi said to Acilia when they were the only two left in the galley. It would be another hour before Vi had to prepare the second round of supper. Might as well play love doctor in the meantime. “He has good legs, too. Will you give him a chance? I mean he put thought into the gift.”

Acilia sighed before turning around, still clutching the chips to her chest as if it was a bag of precious jewels. For all it seemed, the bacon was worth more than any precious stone.“I don’t know. He is sweet, not like the other bunch of pellets.“ Her voice changed in pitch, rose to those romance-tinted heights Vi could never reach. „I’m in love with someone else though….”

Vi exhaled. She knew exactly what Acilia was hinting at, and she didn’t like it. Only a bad quartermaster wasn’t interested in what happened around them. Vi was good. She had soaked up every bit of information, no matter how trivial, about everyone in the crew, and had built a mental map of loyalties, ambitions, relationships, feuds, and gossips in no time. Acilia had fallen for the wrong one. There was no way Vi could address the matter without hurting the girl’s feelings.

„Acilia, I know you have a crush on the Junior XO. I‘m sorry to say. It‘ll only make you unhappy.“

„How…?“ Acilia‘s mandibles clamped close to her jaw in hurt. Her facial expression while she stared at Vi said everything, and for a second, Vi regretted being so blunt. But a rotten tooth was better dealt with swiftly.

„You get that faraway look in your eyes whenever you cross her in the lunch line. I manage this galley. I notice.“ Vi reached out to rub Acilia’s upper arm while she talked. „Your subvocals are all over the place too, no matter how much you try to hide it. Sorry.“

„Oh…“ Acilia deflated, clutching the bag of chips to her chest. Her head retreated as far into her cowl as it would go, a clear sign of her distress. The bag of chips rustled in her grip.

Vi rubbed her brow plates with the palm of one hand. Oh spirits. Not that she’d wanted to make Acilia uncomfortable after a date, but pining over officers twenty years one‘s senior was a recipe for disaster.

“Look. I don‘t want to hurt your feelings, but the XO is out of reach. She only has eyes for her job anyway. On the other hand, you got yourself someone who is totally into you, he‘s your age, and he‘s cute. You do like Tyres, right?“

„Yeah, he‘s really nice,“ Acilia mumbled into her cowl. „Attentive, too. Not a pellet,“ she added while she observed the chips in her hands. The way she had mistreated the bag, the bacon inside had surely disintegrated into dust by now.

„Great!“ It wasn’t much of an admission, but better than nothing. Vi‘s mandibles quirked upwards, an attempt to brighten the mood. „There we go. Talk to him, see if you can reach an understanding. Even if it‘s only to have some fun together. You deserve to let go sometimes, too. I’m sure Tyres can help.“

„Yeah… maybe you‘re right. Thanks, Vi. Appreciate the talk.“

„Always a pleasure to help. Come by anytime.“

When Acilia’s steps had faded in the hallway, Vi sighed and got back to her report. Sometimes, she cursed her pragmatic outlook on life. She had never been one for big dreams and fantasies, or romantic tropes. People had made fun of her for it often enough. But somehow, her way of looking at the world did seem to benefit others. Maybe she should appeal to the captain for a raise before the next Memorial Day? She could be quartermaster, cook and board matchmaker/psychologist. And here, her grandfather had always told her she wouldn‘t make it past a deckhand… What a miscalculation.


	8. Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taken from a Tumblr drabble prompt list: 'Breathe slowly'.
> 
> Rated T, mentions of past sexual relations

Captain Ianus was working out in the cruiser’s gym when his XO called him on his personal channel, the one reserved for emergencies.

"Told you I didn‘t want to be disturbed, Sivan,“ Ianus growled as he pushed himself off the floor, ceiling lights shimmering over his naked body.

"I know.“ On screen, Sivan Medina‘s expression was serious, his mandibles pinched close to his face, subvocals vibrating with tense worry. "Delius and Taranis are sparring, and it’s taking a turn for the worst, thought I‘d let you know. I’m monitoring the situation.“

"I‘ll be right there.“

It didn‘t take Ianus long to get to the ring from where he was. Not bothering with dressing, all he did was grab his field cap with its red captain stripe from the pile, pulling it onto his head while he dashed towards the arena.

As Medina had warned him, ensigns Delius and Taranis were fighting, surrounded by some of their mates urging Taranis on with battle cries, but from the way the crew scattered when Ianus appeared, all dark gleaming plates and determined subvocals, made him realize this was far past a normal, controlled match.

Delius was curled up on the floor whimpering, Taranis on top of him, the talons of her right hand dug into his neck, the other, still encased by a thin sparring glove, dealing blow after blow to the side of his face, as if she was in a trance. Splatters of blue blood stained both of their shirts. The buzz of excited subvocals and Taranis’ feral growls filled the air.

Naked as he was, Ianus vaulted the barrier with one leap, then ripped her off him, flung her into the corner of the ring before whirling around, homing in on her.

"Ensign Taranis!“ he roared, puffing himself up to his impressive 7’3”, all authority. "Stand to attention! What’s gotten into you?“

She scowled at first but composed herself surprisingly quick, got up to salute and stand stiff in front of her captain. All evidence of her frenzy had gone in a flash. Foamy blue bubbles clung to the corners of her mouth, a rivulet of blood trailing down from underneath her left mandible. Her eyes were narrowed, affixed to a point right above Ianus‘ left shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was tense.

"Apologies, Captain Etherian. Ensign Delius kept taunting me about my family. I thought a round or two off-shift would calm our tempers but he wouldn‘t stop.“ She looked down, then back up, defiance vibrating in her usually so composed voice. "He slandered my father. I won’t allow that.“

Ianus growled at her words. Delius was a troublemaker, had been ever since he had enlisted, through all the assignments he‘d been on. If only he wasn’t such a damn good navigator… getting someone as calm and smart as Taranis angry was quite the feat.

"Acknowledged, Ensign Taranis. I want my crew to respect the chain of command and won‘t have any unruly conduct on my cruiser. I ask you to seek my help and not to take matters into your own hands from now on. Go visit the medbay on your way out, I’ll talk with Ensign Delius. Dismissed.“

She saluted stiffly and slunk off, some of the bystanders clapping her on the shoulder or giving her little signs of encouragement, one proffering her a tube of medigel from his crew bag. Ianus made a mental note of addressing this case of missing team spirit at his next appeal. Delius had never fit in with his mates with his hurtful ways, but having them all cheer at him being flogged by one of theirs was conduct of the lowest grade, and Ianus wasn’t going to have any of that on his ship.

He looked after Taranis until she was out of sight, then gave a frustrated hiss and turned towards Ensign Delius, still curled up on the floor in fetal position with his tongue out, his breath coming in short, shallow bursts, one eye squeezed shut, obviously injured, the other pupil dilated. Sivan was tending to him.

"Ensign Delius?“

Ianus waited a few seconds. When the young man failed to answer, kept panting in shock, he crouched down close to him, pushed one digit under his chin and forced it upwards.

"Delius. Look at me. I’m here. You’ll be fine.“

No reaction. Ianus pinched the youngster behind the mandible to wake him from his daze and was rewarded with a flinch. _Good_. All Hierarchy personnel were trained in first aid, but nonetheless, Ianus was glad he didn’t have to implement those measures too often. Behind him, Sivan was dispersing the last bystanders, yelling at them to be productive members of the Hierarchy and to get back to their jobs.

“Try to breathe slowly, Delius.“

There was no distinct reaction from the young man apart from a groan, but under Ianus’ touch, his breathing calmed, and he blinked his one eye that wasn‘t swollen shut, as if to clear his head. Ianus grumbled and helped him up, steadying him when he threatened to stumble.

"Name, place of origin, rank, last place of service?“ Ianus asked, adhering to first aid protocol.

"Delius, Leucen. Vitia settlement. Navigator in training third year, cruiser _Invictus_.“ The young man‘s voice was faint, but at least he‘d regained his focus.

"Good. Delius, walk with me. XO Medina, take the bridge.“

They set down the corridor towards the medbay, Ianus still naked but with his field cap on, supporting his limping crew member.

“Why did you defame General Taranis?” Ianus asked after a while. Except for some defiant subvocal whine, he was met with silence. Ianus gave a frustrated groan. Why did he always get assigned to the cumbersome fledglings? Did the generals believe he had a certain way with them? Ensign Delius was problematic, and while until a few years earlier, Ianus wouldn‘t have hesitated to kick out or lock up notorious troublemakers, he had developed a soft spot for the little rebel during the last months. And for the first time in his career, Captain Ianus spoke gently to one of his subordinates.

"Ensign Delius. … _Leucen_. Listen to me. I know you don‘t want to be here and that’s why you’re rebelling against everything and everyone. But you won’t solve your problems by working against your crewmates. They’re your family now. Be good to them. We all serve a cause way bigger than you and me. Struggling against it won‘t help, unless your plan is to face the firing squad, and you‘re headed that way.“

He gave another growl, looked down at Leucen hobbling at his side, gaze fixed on the smooth polished floor. There was something about Ensign Leucen Delius that Ianus didn’t completely understand, only that he felt it was his duty as captain to help him find his place on this ship.

"I don‘t want you to get shot, Leucen. You‘re a nuisance and you make my plates itch like nobody else, but you‘re a brilliant navigator. Never had a better one, and I‘ve seen many in all those years. The Hierarchy needs bright new people like you. You can make a difference if you advance far enough up the tiers. But right now, you have to conform, and I‘ll make sure you do.“

Leucen stopped mid-stride in the empty corridor, gave a huff before he looked up, blood caked dark blue between the sandy yellow of his facial plates, slid back into the only way he knew to appease superiors, by pressing his body up to the captain‘s side, rubbing against him.

"I‘m all yours, Captain Etherian,“ he purred, lewdness shining through his words, almost drowning out the physical pain conveyed by his subvocals.

Ianus‘ hands descended on the young man‘s shoulders, squeezed them. A warning not to spoil things.

"What are you taking me for, ensign?“ he asked. "You can’t offer to sleep with your superiors at every mistake you make.“

Leucen only grumbled, extended one hand to ghost it over Ianus‘ waist, pushed himself onto the older man.

With a growl and a surge of anger, the captain wrenched him off, rammed him against the wall ignoring his yelp of pain.

"Spirits, Leucen, stop it!” he hissed in exasperation, his teeth bared. “I’m trying to help you, guide you. I am your captain. Last time shouldn‘t have happened!“

Leucen’s one unbruised eye honed in on Ianus, ice blue, full of hurt and loneliness.

“It‘s all I‘m good at,” he mumbled, his hands sinking down to hang limp at his side.

The anger boiling in Ianus’ gut dissolved at seeing the youngster so upset, at hearing those words, and he rubbed his shoulders in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.

Captain Ianus wasn’t one to be nice to his crew, and neither was he used to comforting people. They were supposed to follow his orders, look up to his leadership, to behave themselves, to work together. If they didn’t, the captain’s wrath could be frightening. But Ensign Delius was different for some reason.

Ianus exhaled, then tugged on Leucen’s arm to escort him down the corridor.

"We’ll figure it out, Ensign Delius. Let’s get you cleaned up, and then we’ll talk. You got some explaining to do. I don’t want my crew to hold secrets from me.”

To that, the young man didn’t answer. He looked rather crestfallen with his mandibles pinched close to his face, but he did let himself be guided towards the medbay, let himself being patched up while the captain’s stare burned on his carapace.

Time would tell how he’d fall into line.


End file.
